What is Ovarian Tissue Freezing?
In increasing numbers, women are choosing to start their families later in life. These women aren’t giving up the option to have a family – they want to do so on their own timeline. Unfortunately, a woman’s biological clock is not so in tune with this idea. After a woman turns 35, her ability to get pregnant declines due to the decreasing quality of her egg reserve. Ovarian tissue freezing is the newest way to preserve a woman’s fertility so that she’s able to have her own biological children when she’s ready.
Ovarian Tissue Freezing Process
The technique of ovarian tissue freezing was designed to deal with the unique medical needs of women facing cancer treatment. A traditional egg freezing cycle is not ideal for these women as time and the effects of fertility medication are often a concern. Rather than harvesting mature eggs, ovarian tissue freezing freezes hundreds of immature eggs at once.
A woman’s eggs are stored on the exterior layer of her ovaries. When a portion of this outer layer is removed, hundreds of eggs are harvested at once. To harvest the ovarian tissue, the entire ovary can be removed or a portion of the outer layer can be harvested. The tissue is then frozen using vitrification and stored until a woman is ready for it.
When the woman is ready, the ovarian tissue can be transplanted directly into the mother. The tissue then behaves normally, allowing a woman to become pregnant on her own. If this situation is not ideal, the retrieved eggs may also be matured in a laboratory setting and then fertilized via in vitro fertilization.
Benefits of Ovarian Tissue Freezing
There are a number of benefits to this fertility preservation method including:
- Being able to retrieve a large number of eggs at once
- No need for fertility medication
- The procedure can be done with little notice
Ovarian tissue functions normally when it is implanted back in the mother, making the future fertility treatments unnecessary.
To discuss your options for fertility preservation, including ovarian tissue freezing, contact the specialists at New Hope Fertility Center today. Please click the link below to enter your information and New Hope will contact you, or simply call 212-517-7676. Thank you.
